System and method for pre-call messaging for a wireless device

ABSTRACT

A system and method for playing pre-call messages. User input is received to record a pre-call message for one or more intended recipients in anticipation of an incoming call from the one or more intended recipient. The pre-call message is associated with an identifier of the one or more intended recipients. The pre-call message is played to the one or more intended recipients during the ring back period in response to determining the incoming call is from the one or more intended recipients using the identifier. The pre-call message is deleted in response to determining the one or more intended recipients have received the entire pre-call message.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/809,685 filed on May 31, 2007 entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PRE-CALLMESSAGING, the entire teachings of which are incorporated herein.

BACKGROUND

The use of and development of communications has grown nearlyexponentially in recent years. The growth is fueled by larger networkswith more reliable protocols and better communications hardwareavailable to service providers and consumers. Users have similarly grownto expect better communications from home, work, and on the go. Forexample, users now expect faster connection speeds, increased bandwidth,better reliability, and greater availability from all types ofcommunications networks. In many cases, the growth is driven by peoplelooking to give up traditional communications schemes for theefficiency, effectiveness, and availability of new networks. The growthof instant messaging and text messaging are examples of communicationsmethods that are simple and effective. Despite the growth in thecommunications field, the methods for sending voice messages, usingdo-not-disturb features and presenting caller identification are stillquite limited to traditional methods, configurations, and setups.

One example of communications technology that has not adapted to newtrends and technologies is voicemail. Voice messages are valuablebecause of the emphasis, emotion, voice identification, personality, andlarge amount of information that a user may easily and efficientlycommunicate in a message or recognize from a message. In many cases,leaving a voice message feels more personal and effective than a textmessage even if both methods properly convey the same message.Individuals that may not be comfortable typing a text message are oftenmore comfortable sending and receiving voice messages. The process forleaving a regular voicemail or recording an audio clip to be sent to auser is typically time consuming and cumbersome. As a result, the use ofvoice messages has largely been supplanted by text messages.

Similarly, options for communications with a home telephone have notsignificantly improved with changing technology. Most communicationswith family members at home are limited to legacy systems, such asanswering machines and speaker phones. Many individuals would warmlyembrace technologies and features that enhance communication with familymembers, make business easier, and provide additional security and peaceof mind. There is a need for enhanced features for Voice over InternetProtocol (VoIP), standard telephones, wireless data and voice networks,and other communications devices, mediums, and networks.

SUMMARY

To overcome the problem of communication with a party that is expectedto call, a system and method for pre-call messaging may be utilized. Oneembodiment includes a method for or enabled to play pre-call messages.User input may be received to record a pre-call message for one or moreintended recipients in anticipation of an incoming call from the one ormore intended recipient. The pre-call message may be associated with anidentifier of the one or more intended recipients. The pre-call messagemay be played to the one or more intended recipients during the ringback period in response to determining the incoming call is from the oneor more intended recipients using the identifier. The pre-call messagemay be deleted in response to determining the one or more intendedrecipients have received the entire pre-call message. A wireless devicemay also utilize a processor, memory and set of instructions toimplement the method herein described.

In another embodiment, a voicemail system of a wireless device mayinclude a function trigger configured to enable a pre-call messagefeature. The voice mail system may also include pre-call message logicconfigured implement the pre-call message feature, wherein the pre-callmessage logic receives user input to record a pre-call message for oneor more intended recipients, associates the pre-call message with anidentifier of the one or more intended recipients, and plays thepre-call message to the one or more intended recipients during the ringback period for the wireless device in response to determining anincoming call is from the one or more intended recipients using theidentifier.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Illustrative embodiments of the present invention are described indetail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, which areincorporated by reference herein and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective drawing of a communication system according toone embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a voicemail system in accordance with theillustrative embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a home communication system in accordancewith the illustrative embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a process for implementing quick note messagesin accordance with the illustrative embodiments of the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a process for home monitoring and using a homeintercom in accordance with the illustrative embodiments of the presentinvention;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a process for home monitoring and using a homeintercom in accordance with the illustrative embodiments of the presentinvention;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a process for using an incrementaldo-not-disturb feature in accordance with an illustrative embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a process for implementing an incrementaldo-not-disturb feature in accordance with an illustrative embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a process for establishing a calleridentification voice announce in accordance with an illustrativeembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10A-B are flowcharts of processes for playing a callingidentification voice announce in accordance with an illustrativeembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a process for recording a pre-call message inaccordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a process for playing a recorded pre-callmessage in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a process for recording a pre-call message inaccordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a process for playing a pre-call message inaccordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Illustrative embodiments of the present invention provide a system andmethod for implementing quick note messaging, intercom and monitoringcommunications, caller identification voice announcements, pre-callmessaging, and incremental do-not-disturb features. The description,features, and services for each embodiment may also be applicable to allof the other embodiments. The embodiments may be implemented fortelephonic devices which include plain old telephone service (POTS)telephones, VoIP telephones, wireless devices, and other communicationsdevices, protocols and systems. The wireless device may be a cellulartelephone, personal digital assistant, communications enabled MP3player, or other similar wireless device.

The quick note messages, also referred to herein as quick notes, areshort messages recorded for a telephonic device. When a calling partydials a user equipped with quick note messaging capability, the call isintercepted by the quick note messaging system. A prompt, such as atone, may be played to the calling party indicating that the calledwireless user or receiving party has a quick note messaging feature.However, the prompt may be a ring tone, message, tactile indicator, ortextual indicator suitable to inform the calling party that a quick notemessage may be recorded for the receiving party without continuing thecall or further communicating with the receiving party. Alternatively,the prompt may only be played to specified calling parties allowing themto leave quick note messages. The receiving party is the quick notemessaging customer or wireless user being called.

If the calling party elects to leave a quick note message, a prompt isplayed to the calling party indicating that the system has beganrecording. In another embodiment, the different prompts may beintegrated. At that point, the calling party may leave a message whichis recorded by the quick note messaging system. In another embodiment,the prompt and tone are not played at all, but rather once the callingparty has selected to leave a quick note message, the systemautomatically begins recording the message without prompting.

In one embodiment, the quick note messaging system may be an integratedportion of a voicemail system. Alternatively, the quick note messagingsystem may be a separate system that is part of the wirelesscommunication network, such as an advanced intelligent networkingfeature. The quick note message is terminated once the calling partyhangs up the telephone a time-out threshold is exceeded, when the userstops speaking for a specified time period, or based on a userselection. In one example, the time-out threshold may be ten seconds.Once the quick note message has terminated, the message is stored andthe receiving party is notified that a quick note message is availableby a message waiting indicator. The message waiting indicator may be analert, flashed message or other textual, visual, or audio indicatoralerting the receiving party that a message has been received. In oneembodiment, the message waiting indicator may be the same indicator thatis used for regular voicemail messages. Alternatively, the indicator forquick note messages may be a separate or different alert. For example, amessage waiting indicator may display an envelope with a lightning boltthrough it indicating a quick note message has been received.

In another embodiment, the quick note feature may only be used bycalling parties that have been told that the user has quick notecapability. For example, the user may enter a code or password, such as*2 before dialing a phone number that indicates that the calling partywants to leave the receiving party a quick note. At that point, a tonemay or may not be used to inform the user that the system mayimmediately record a short message for the receiving party. Therecording of the quick note may occur without presenting the user with avoice menu or other information. As a result, the entire process isextremely fast and efficient and quick notes may be quickly sharedbetween sending and receiving parties. Quick notes may be particularlyuseful for wireless devices, but may also be sent from VoIP phones,standard phones, and other telephonic devices.

An illustrative embodiment for intercom and monitoring communication mayallow a user to remotely monitor or carry on an intercom conversationwith a telephonic device. The user may be required to present a passcode that authorizes the user to monitor or carry on a two-wayconversation with the telephone remotely. As a result, the user maymonitor the telephone for security purposes. Alternatively, the user maycarry on an intercom conversation with a user that is unable to answercalls using traditional methods.

An illustrative embodiment for caller identification voice announce maybe used to play a voice identifier associated with a calling party. Thevoice identifier may be a name, nickname or other user recording. Thecalling party may also be prompted to record the purpose or subject ofthe call so that the receiving party knows why the calling party iscalling. The voice identifier may be associated with one or more calleridentifiers associated with the calling party and the recorded purposeof the call. For example, a caller identifier may include a phonenumber, IP address, caller identification information, deviceidentifier, account number, subscriber name, customer name, end-username, or other information that is associated with the voice identifier.When an incoming call is identified as received from a specified callingparty, the pre-recorded voice announce or voice identifier and recordedcall purpose is played for allowing the user to identify the callingparty. The user may identify a calling party without answering thephone, reading caller identification, or phone number associated withthe calling party. As a result, the user may screen calls or know whoand why to call back if near the telephone but unable to take theincoming call.

An illustrative embodiment for a pre-call message may be used to recorda message for a future call from a calling party. A message may berecorded and designated for one or more calling parties. Once thecalling party calls, the pre-call message is played to the callingparty. The message may be designated or associated with a calling partyusing a phone number, IP address, caller identification information,device identifier, or other information. The user or receiving party mayefficiently record a message for an anticipated call in the future or incase a calling party calls in the future.

In one embodiment, the next time the calling party calls the message maybe played only once to the calling party. Once the entire quick note hasbeen retrieved by the calling party, the quick note is deleted andsubsequent calls are processed normally. Traditional voicemail may alsobe used in combination with the pre-call messaging. In otherembodiments, the calling party may manage the pre-call or next time youcall me messages. The pre-call message may be played to the callingparty regardless of the status of the user or may be played based onuser preferences regarding the status of the user. For example, if theuser is on another call or has do-not-disturb set, the pre-call messagemay be played to the calling party.

An illustrative embodiment for incremental do-not-disturb may be used toprovide a limited time period during which a telephonic device does notreceive phone calls. The time period may be designated by a user inincrements or as a specified time period. The time period may be reducedor ended at any time based on feedback and input from the user.Incremental do-not-disturb may be used to ensure that phone calls arenot received for a specified time period, but that the telephone doesnot remain in that state for extended periods preventing the user fromreceiving important or expected phone calls.

FIG. 1 is a perspective drawing of a communication system according toone embodiment of the present invention. The communication system ofFIG. 1 includes various elements used for wireless and wiredcommunication. The communication system 100 includes a mobile switchingcenter 102, a local exchange 104, voicemail systems 105 and 106,wireless devices 108 and 110, transmission tower 112, a home 114, andhome telephones 116 and 118. In one embodiment, the different elementsand components of the communication system 100 communicate usingwireless communications or hardwired connections, such as fiber optics,cable, DSL, telephone lines and other similar hardwired connections.

The wireless devices 108 and 110 may communicate with the transmissiontower 112 using communications protocols, such as time division multipleaccess (TDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), global systems formobile (GSM) communications, personal communications systems (PCS),WLAN, WiMAX, or other frequently used cellular and data communicationsprotocols and standards. Communications within the communication system100 may occur on any number of networks which may include wirelessnetworks, data or packet networks, and publicly switched telephonenetworks (PSTN). The features of the present invention may beimplemented by one or more elements of the communication system 100independently or as a networked implementation.

In one embodiment, the mobile switching center 102, voicemail system105, and transmission tower 112 are part of a wireless network that isoperated by a wireless service provider. For example, the controlsignals and operational features may be performed by the mobileswitching center 102 and the wireless signals may be broadcast from thetransmission tower 112 to the wireless devices 108 and 110. The wirelessnetwork may include any number of systems, towers, and network andcommunications devices for implementing the features and performing themethods herein described.

The mobile switching center (MSC) 102 may be a switch used for wirelesscall control and processing. The MSC 102 may also serve as a point ofaccess to the local exchange 104. The MSC 102 is a telephone exchangethat provides circuit switched calling and mobility management and mayalso provide GSM or personal communications system (PCS) services to thewireless devices 108 and 110 located within the area the MSC 102 serves.The MSC 102 may include a home locator record (HLR) and virtual locatorrecord (VLR) that may be used to implement different features ofillustrative embodiments.

The voicemail system 105 may be an integrated part of the MSC 102 oralternatively may be an externally connected device. The voicemailsystem 105 may function to prompt a user to leave a quick note messageor pre-call message as well as record the message, and alert and playthe message to the intended recipient through signals sent between thevoicemail system 105 and the wireless device 110. The mobile switchingcenter 102 and voicemail system 105 may include any number of hardwareand software components. In one embodiment, the MSC 102 is an advancedintelligence network device with software modules equipped to performvoicemail functions.

The local exchange 104 and MSC 102 communicate using a signal controlprotocol, such as a signaling system number 7 (SS7) protocol. The SS7protocol is used in publicly switched networks to establish connectionsbetween switches, performing out-of-band signaling in support of thecall-establishment, billing, routing, and information-exchange functionsof the publicly switched network 134. The local exchange 104 may beowned and operated by a local exchange carrier that provides standardtelephone service to any number of users. In one embodiment, the localexchange 104 may be a class 5 switch that is part of the network systemsof the local carrier. The local exchange 104 may include or may beconnected to the voicemail system 106. However, the local exchange 104may also be a Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer (DSLAM),Internet Protocol (IP) gateway, base station or any other suitablenetwork access point.

The local exchange 104 may be a wire-line switch or public exchangeusing time domain multiplexing to provide telecommunications services toa particular subscriber or groups of subscribers. The local exchange 104may be located at a local telephone company's central office, or at abusiness location serving as a private branch exchange. The localexchange 104 may provide dial-tone, calling features, and additionaldigital and data services to subscribers. The local exchange 104 mayalso enable VoIP communication of the home telephones 116 and 118through a data network. VoIP works by sending voice information indigital form in packets, rather than in the traditionalcircuit-committed protocols of the publicly switched network.

The communication system 100 may further include any number of hardwareand software elements that may not be shown in the example of FIG. 1.For example, in order to facilitate VoIP communications, thecommunication system may include application servers, media servers,service brokers, call agents, edge routers, gateways (signaling,trunking, access, sub, etc.), IP network service providers, exchanges,switches, users, and networks. The voicemail system 106 is similar tothe voicemail system 105 except that it is equipped to handle voicemailfor landline customers rather than wireless customers. The localexchange 104 or other components of a wire line network, such as a data,PSTN, VoIP, or other wired network may implement the features andperform the methods herein described.

The home 114 is an example of a dwelling or residence of a person orgroup that may use any number of communications services. The home 114is shown as a residence in the illustrated example, however, the home114 may also be an office, business, or other structure wired orotherwise suitably equipped to provide telephone service to one or morecustomers. In one embodiment, the home 114 is equipped with multipletelephonic devices, including home telephones 116 and 118. The hometelephones 116 and 118 may be standard devices that provide dial toneand dialing, and voice conversation capabilities. Home telephone 116 maybe integrated in any number of other devices or may be used in differentforms. For example, the home telephone 116 may be part of arefrigerator. In another embodiment, the home telephone 118 may beintegrated with a personal computer.

The communication services accessible from the home telephones 116 and118 may include standard telephone service or VoIP telephone service.The home telephones 116 and 118 may be VoIP telephones or may bestandard telephones that include a modem and/or VoIP adapters forenabling VoIP communications. A special dial tone, message, web alert,or other feedback may specify once or repeatedly that the hometelephones 116 and 118 are implementing a particular feature. Forexample, the home telephones 116 and 118 may sound a double chirp whenimplementing the incremental do-not-disturb feature for incoming calls.The user may cancel use of any features by reentering the featurecommand or a cancellation command.

In an illustrative embodiment, the calling party and receiving party mayuse a wireless device, such as wireless device 108. Calls and othermessages and data communications may be received from the home telephone116 or from other wireless devices, such as wireless device 110. At anytime, a user may select to enable, order, initiate, implement, orotherwise request the features herein described. The user may enable thefeature in a number of ways. For example, the user may use a featurecommand that activates a function trigger. The feature command may be asignal generated to activate the function trigger for a device, such asthe MSC 102, local exchange 104, voicemail systems 105 and 106 wirelessdevice 110, or home telephones 116 and 118. In one example, the user maysubmit a feature command by dialing *79 on the home telephone 116. Thefeature command may also be a password, voice activated, time activated,preset by the user or any other suitable option, setting, command, oruser input. In another embodiment, the various features may beimplemented using tactile commands. For example, the user may tap thehome telephone 118 four times in rapid succession to place the phone orservice in a do-not-disturb mode for a twenty minute increment.Alternatively, a tactile pattern similar to Morse code may be used totell the wireless device 110 to begin monitoring the home telephone 116from the wireless device 110

FIG. 2 shows examples of communications devices in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 includes a telephone 202, acordless telephone 204, and a wireless telephone 205. The telephone 202,cordless telephone 204, and wireless telephone 205 may include a featurebutton 206. The feature button 206 may be an interface that allows theuser to send a signal or command to a class 5 switch, mobile switchingcenter, or voicemail system or other component of the communicationsystem 100 of FIG. 1 for activating a call feature from the standardtelephone 202. Alternatively, the feature button may activate theindividual device to perform the requested feature.

The feature button 206 may be a dedicated button, programmable orotherwise assignable graphical user interface, touch screen, microphone,scroll wheel, or other input device that generates the command signalthat activates the feature for the telephone 202, cordless telephone204, or wireless telephone 205. The telephone 202 and cordless telephone204 are particular implementations of the standard telephones 116 and118 of FIG. 1. The feature button 206 may be used to activate any of themethods, services, and features herein described.

The telephone 202 and cordless telephone 204 may be telephonic devicesthat operate in conjunction with a publicly switched network or class 5switch. The telephone 202 may be a plain old telephone service (POTS)phone that functions using an analog connection. In another embodiment,the communication service accessible from the telephone 202 and thecordless telephone 204 may be part of VoIP telephone service or otherdata or packet network. The telephone 202 and cordless telephone 204 areprovided dial tone connectivity through a wired connection for a home,business or other location in which the telephone 202 and cordlesstelephone 204 are located. The wireless telephone 205 may operatethrough a wireless network.

The wireless telephone 205, telephone 202, and cordless telephone 204may include one or more accelerometers or electro sensitive sensors toreceive user feedback in the form of a tactile response. For example,the user may tap the wireless telephone 205 to provide user feedback.For example, in order to further increment the time period of theincremental do-not-disturb feature of the wireless telephone 205 orcordless phone 204 the user may tap the phone twice. Alternatively, theuser may activate the feature by tossing the wireless telephone 205 orcordless phone 204 onto a bed or couch. In another embodiment, differentfeatures may be activated or commands may be generated by touchingspecific portions of the telephonic device. For example, by touching andholding a corner of the wireless telephone 205, the wireless telephone206 may begin recording a pre-call message.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a voicemail system in accordance with anillustrative embodiment of the present invention. Voicemail system 300is a particular implementation of voicemail systems 105 and 106 ofFIG. 1. The voicemail system 300 may be one or more software modulesand/or hardwired devices configured to perform the functions andfeatures of quick note messaging, pre-call messaging, incrementaldo-not-disturb, or home monitoring and intercom communication as hereindescribed. The voicemail system 300 may be part of a wireless network, apublicly switched network, an IP or other data network, or a homecommunication system.

For example, the voicemail system 300 may be a server, advanced networkdevice, standard telephone, wireless telephone, or answering machine. Inone example, the voicemail system 300 may be part of one or more serversor advanced intelligence network devices that functions as part of awireless service provider's control system. In one embodiment, thevoicemail system 300 includes a function trigger 302, quick notemessaging logic 304, pre-call message logic 306, incrementaldo-not-disturb logic 308 and memory 310. The voicemail system 300 mayfurther include elements, such as a processor, bus, hard drive, andother data processing elements and software.

The function trigger 302, quick note message logic 304, pre-call messagelogic 306, and incremental do-not-disturb logic 308 may be implementedindividually, collectively in a single device or software component, toprovide the features herein described. The user input that is used bythe function trigger 302 to enable the features described may come fromthe telephone 202, cordless telephone 204, or wireless telephone 205 andparticularly from the feature button 206 of FIG. 2.

In one embodiment, the function trigger 302 may be a software moduletriggered to notify a calling party that the receiving party has quicknote messaging or play a pre-call messaging capability during a ringback period. The ring back period may be the time between the voicemailsystem 300 or other wireless or communication system receiving orintercepting an incoming call and the receiving device ringing. Forexample, the function trigger 302 may intercept an incoming call to thewireless device. The calling party is not required to sign up for quicknote messaging or pre-call messaging in order to leave a quick notemessage or receive a pre-call message.

With regard to quick note messaging, in response to intercepting anincoming call, the function trigger 302 may play a quick note messagingprompt. The prompt may be a sound, tone, splash, recorded message, orother alert or visual indication, indicating that the calling party mayleave a quick note message. The function trigger 302 and voicemailsystem 300 may allow multiple incoming calls to be processed and quicknote messages to be recorded from different calling partiessimultaneously. The quick note messaging prompt may be preceded with aninterrupt tone to identify that the incoming call is being processed bythe voicemail system 300 or wireless network. The interrupt tone may beused by fax machines and operator services to identify the nature ofcall processing. The function trigger 302 may only have a limited timeperiod, such as three seconds, during the ring back period to receiveuser input from the calling party to leave a quick note message.

The quick note message logic 304 may store user preferences. In oneexample, only specified calling parties may be prompted to hear themessaging prompt. For example, the user may store phone numbers or otheridentifiers of persons that may send quick note messages through thevoicemail system 300.

In one embodiment, the function trigger 302 may play a custom or defaultprerecorded message that may say “dial 1 to leave a quick note message”.In another embodiment, the function trigger 302 may not sound or displaya quick note messaging prompt to the user. As a result, only callingparties that have been told by the receiving party that quick notemessaging is available know that they may leave a quick note message.The function trigger 302 allows a calling party to select to leave aquick note message before the call is completed to the wireless deviceor the call is passed to the receiving party's wireless device. As aresult, the calling party may leave a quick note message during the ringback period before the wireless device rings and the receiving partyanswers.

Quick note messaging is efficient and easy to use. In some cases, thecalling party will use quick note messaging in a manner similar to textmessaging to leave quick and concise messages. In one embodiment, thequick note may be recorded and sent without the wireless device ringingand without presenting any prompts or messages to the calling party. Asa result, once a quick note feature or message is selected by thecalling party, the quick note message is saved for retrieval by theintended recipient. Alternatively, the calling party may simply want toleave a short message without the hassle or inconvenience of carrying ona full telephone conversation. For example, if the receiving party is ina meeting the calling party may elect to leave a quick note message sothat the receiving party is not interrupted in the middle of themeeting. The function trigger 302 may receive user input or a userselection to leave a quick note message in any number of ways. In oneembodiment, the user selection may be a key stroke or other signalindicating that the calling party desires to leave a quick note message.In another embodiment, the selection to leave a quick note message mayalso be made before the number of the receiving party is dialed.

In another embodiment, the wireless device of the calling party may beequipped with a specialized button, shortcut, dialing code, or functionthat when activated, sends a signal to the voicemail system 300 and thefunction trigger 302 indicating that the calling party wants to leave aquick note message. The user selection may also be voice activated. Forexample, after dialing the receiving party, the calling party may hear amessage that says “say, Quick Note to leave a quick note message.”

The quick note messaging logic 304 ensures that a message is properlyrecorded or stored, and that the receiving party is alerted that a quicknote message is available. For example, the quick note messaging logic304 may play a tone to prompt the calling party to record the quick notemessage once the calling party has provided user input indicating thedesire to record a quick note message. This tone indicates that thevoicemail system 300 is recording the message entered by the user. Thequick note messaging logic 304 records the message left by the callingparty in the memory 310.

In one embodiment, quick note messages and regular voicemail messagesmay be processed in the same manner. Quick note messages may be assignedto one inbox and voicemail messages may be assigned to another inbox. Bytheir nature, quick note messages may be used to more quickly conveyinformation that traditional voicemail messages. In another embodiment,quick note messages are process completely differently. Quick notes maybe given preferential treatment over voicemail messages. For example,the voicemail system 300 may display that the number of quick notesreceived, time received, and calling party. The user may have onlyinformed certain people of the availability and method for leaving aquick note message and as a result may have a greater interest inretrieving the quick note.

In one embodiment, the quick note messages may be downloaded or storeddirectly on the wireless device. For example, once received, the quicknote message may be transferred from the voicemail system 300 to memoryor storage on the wireless device with no copies remaining stored in thememory 310. As a result, the user may quickly listen to the quick noteand process the quick note by replying, forwarding, deleting, orotherwise processing the quick note. A selected or custom alert may beused to indicate to the user that a quick note has been received by thevoicemail system 300 or the wireless device. Alternatively, the quicknote message logic 304 may use speech recognition or speech-to-textfunctionality to convert the quick note message to a text message ortext for display to the user. The quick note message may be converted totext format by the voicemail system 300 or by the wireless device ortelephone once downloaded. For example, a quick note message that hasbeen converted to text may be displayed on a telephone or wirelessdevice until dismissed.

The memory 310 may be any type of electronic storage media enabled forrecording and storing a large number of quick note messages. The quicknote messaging logic 304 stores the quick note message in the memory 310as the message is recorded or after the call has terminated. The quicknote messaging logic 304 may use a threshold to specify how long a quicknote message may be. In one example, the quick note message may bethirty seconds long. The threshold may be set by default, by anadministrator operating the voicemail system 300, or by the user.

The memory 310 or quick note messaging logic 304 may limit the number ofquick note messages that may be recorded or stored. For example, theuser may specify that if there are more than twenty messages that havenot been listened to, the voicemail system 300 disables the feature sothat no more quick note messages may be received by the receiving partyto prevent the user from being overwhelmed or unable to catch up withthe large number of messages. The voicemail system 300 may again enablethe quick note messaging feature once a specified number of messageshave been listened to or deleted. The receiving party may also specifydeletion preferences for the memory 310. For example, messages that havebeen listened to may be automatically deleted after a week unless savedor otherwise designated for preservation.

Once the quick note message is stored in the memory 310, the quick notemessaging logic 304 may activate a message waiting indicator. Thereceiving party may retrieve the quick note message from memory 310 inany number of ways. In one example, the quick note message may be playedby pressing a single button, key code, or selecting a menu entry. Thequick note messages may also be retrieved from a menu or queueintegrated or separate from a text messaging application.

In one illustrative example, once the calling party dials the receivingparty, the calling party will hear “Quick Notes” as the first ring backindication or messaging prompt. If the calling party enters “1” withinthree seconds a recording prompt alerts the calling party to leave aquick note message up to thirty seconds long. If the calling party doesnot enter “1” within three seconds, the normal ring back tones areplayed to the calling party and the receiving party's communicationdevice rings.

The message waiting indicator may be an alert that indicates that aquick note message has been received. The message waiting indicator maybe a signal that is sent to the wireless device that informs thereceiving party that a quick note message is available. The messagewaiting indicator may be activated by toggling an icon, sounding analert, vibrating, flashing or displaying a text message, or presenting asuitable audible visual or tactile indicator to the receiving party. Thereceiving party may have pre-established preferences for the quick notemessage prompt that is played to the calling party and the type anddelivery of the message waiting indicator.

The receiving party may disable the quick note messaging service throughthe voicemail system 300 at any time. For example, the receiving partymay select to disable the quick note messaging feature when out of townor on vacation so that any calling parties do not expect the receivingparty to receive the quick note messages.

The quick note message logic 304 may be configured to not displaymessage waiting indicators during off-hours. For example, the receivingparty may select to block the message waiting alerts in the evening andthroughout the night. A time of day do-not-disturb selection may beestablished during setup or at any time as desired by the quick notemessaging customer. In one embodiment, the time of day do-not-disturbselection only affects whether the message waiting indicator isdisplayed to the receiving party. In another embodiment, the time of daydo-not-disturb selection may be used by the quick note messaging logic304 to disable the quick note messaging feature so that calling partiesmay not leave quick note messages during the specified times.

In one embodiment, the voicemail system 300 or quick note messagingsystem may be a stand-alone system accessible by one or more independentwireless carriers to provide quick note messaging for the customers ofthe wireless carriers. Incoming calls may be routed through thevoicemail system 300 or simultaneously connected to the voicemail system300 in order to provide the calling party the option of leaving a quicknote message. The voicemail system 300 and call management system ofother wireless carriers may communicate using any number ofcommunications protocols, such as SS7 an internationaltelecommunications protocol standard for transmitting digital data on abroadband network. As a result, the voicemail system 300 may be used toprovide quick note messaging for a single wireless service provider ormultiple wireless service providers.

The process described for the quick note message logic 304 as detailedherein may also apply for the pre-call message logic 306. Similarly, thevoicemail system 300 may be used by a user to leave a message for acalling party. The user may provide user input to access the pre-callmessage feature. The user may elect to play a message preamble beforethe pre-call message by setting and otherwise configuring pre-callmessage preferences. The pre-call message logic 306 prompts the user tostore a message to be played when a call is initiated by the intendedrecipient or calling party.

The pre-call message may be specified for one or more intendedrecipients. The intended recipients may be selected using calleridentification information, voice identifier, phone number, IP address,or other information. The selected information for the calling party maybe used by the pre-call message logic 306 to link the calling party withthe pre-call message as recorded. The pre-call message and informationregarding the intended recipients may be recorded and saved in thememory 310.

Once a pre-call message is recorded, other songs, tones, data, ormessages referred to generically as “messages” set to play during thering back period may be replaced by the pre-call message. The normalring back message may be returned to normal playback once the intendedrecipients have heard or otherwise received the pre-call message.

In one embodiment, the pre-call message may only be played to the useronly once or in a single session. The pre-call message logic 306 mayensure that the user is able to play the message at least once in itsentirety. For example, if the call is disconnected, the quick notemessage remains stored in memory 310 until the entire message has beenplayed to the user. The user may select to repeat the message during thesingle session, but once the voicemail system 300 has ensured that themessage was successfully received, the message is automatically deletedfrom the memory 310. As a result, the retrieval process may be extremelysimple and once the message is received by the calling party the messageis deleted saving memory and other resources.

The function trigger 302 may activate the pre-call message logic 306 toplay the message recorded in the memory 310 to the calling party inresponse to determining the incoming call originates from one of theintended recipients. The pre-call message logic 306 may interact withthe calling party in order to replay, delete, save or listen to otherstored pre-call messages. In one embodiment, the pre-call message logic306 may output menu options, prompts, and a message preamble to thecalling party in order to receive selections, commands and user inputfrom the calling party. For example, the calling party may use buttonstrokes, voice commands or other input when interacting with thepre-call message logic 306 and processing or managing the message. Oncethe calling party has listened to the message preamble and pre-callmessage, the pre-call message logic 306 may connect the calling party tovoicemail or present other traditional options within the voicemailsystem 300.

In one example, a group supervisor may need to reschedule a meeting dueto a personal emergency. The supervisor may leave a pre-call messagethat is designated for each member of the group collectively so that ifany member of the group calls the supervisor, the voicemail system 300plays a message preamble and the recorded pre-call message in the memory310 that states, “A brief message has been recorded for you as follows:I have a personal emergency and our 4:00 p.m. meeting is rescheduled fortomorrow at the same time”.

The incremental do-not-disturb logic 308 may also be enabled by thefunction trigger 300 based on user input. In one embodiment, the usermay specify a time period during which the user does not want to receivecalls. The time period may be manually specified or in increments. Inone example, the user may select the feature button 206 of a VoIP phone,such as telephone 202 of FIG. 2 to enable incremental do-not-disturb.Each time the feature button is selected, the incremental do-not-disturblogic 308 may add five minutes to the time period. The time periodassociated with the feature button may be programmed. The feature buttonmay specify time in seconds, minutes, or hours for activating thedo-not-disturb feature.

In another example, the user may use buttons on a cellular telephone toenter “*45*”. The function trigger 302 sends a message to theincremental do-not-disturb logic 308 that activates the incrementaldo-not-disturb feature for forty five minutes. The different methods ofspecifying the time period allows a user to easily select how long thephone is in the do-not-disturb mode before returning to normalfunctionality. This feature may provide the peace or interruption freetime that a user may need to accomplish any number of tasks. The timeperiod may also be decreased by the do-not-disturb logic 308 based onuser input. For example, if a user decides that the do-not-disturb timeperiod is too long, the time period may be decremented or reduced tozero so that incoming calls are processed normally.

In another embodiment, the user may specify an end time at which thedo-not-disturb logic 308 ends the incremental do-not-disturb feature.Alternatively, the user may selectively specify a start time and endtime for the time period. The specified start times and end times may beselected to reoccur based on the day of week or other events. Theincremental do-not disturb logic 308 may also specify numbers that arespecifically blocked or allowed during the time period. For example,calls from the chief executive officer of the user's company may beallowed at any time regardless of whether the incremental do-not-disturbfeature has been activated. As a result, the user may specify callingparties that may call, text, email, or otherwise communicate with theuser under any circumstances.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a home communication system in accordancewith the illustrative embodiments of the present invention. Homecommunication system 400 is a hardwire element or software module withinthe mobile switching center 102 or local exchange 104 of FIG. 1.Alternatively, the home communication system 400 may be part of analogor VoIP telephone. The home communication system 400 may also be aserver or other network device in communication with a communicationsnetwork. The home communication system 400 may include a functiontrigger 402, wireless monitoring logic 404, wireless intercom logic 406,caller identification voice announce logic 408, and a memory 410. Thehome communication system 400 may also include the logic elements ofvoicemail system 300 of FIG. 3.

The function trigger 402 may be a module equipped to implement amonitoring or intercom feature. Initially when an incoming call isreceived, the function trigger 402 may play a prompt to the callingparty. In one embodiment, this prompt may only be recognizable by thecalling party as earlier established. Once the function trigger 402 hasplayed the prompt or sent the prompt signal to the calling party, thefunction trigger 402 listens for a user selection. Once the functiontrigger receives the user selection, the function trigger prompts thecalling party to enter a pass code. The pass code may be an identifier,password, authorization voice queue, or other authentication messagethat ensures that the calling party is authorized to activate wirelessmonitoring or intercom communication. Next the function trigger 402determines whether the pass code is correct. If the pass code iscorrect, the function trigger 402 activates the wireless monitoringlogic 404 or the wireless intercom logic 406 based on the previous userselection.

In one embodiment, the home communications system 400 may also includethe memory 410 that allows a calling party to record the intercomconversation or monitored conversation. This may be particularly usefulif there is a dramatic event occurring during the time the homecommunications system 400 is being used to monitor or perform homeintercom communication with a telephone, such as standard telephones 116and 118 of FIG. 1.

Wireless monitoring logic 404 may activate a telephonic device tomonitor or listen for sounds in the room. For example, a couple out on adate may be able to easily determine whether the babysitter has theirchildren in bed for the night or determine whether the babysitter isstill acting responsibly based on the monitored noises and voiceconversations.

The wireless intercom logic 406 may activate a home telephone or otherhome telephonic device to allow intercom communications. For example, ifthe calling party calls home to check on the family pets, once theappropriate user selection is received and the pass code is verified bythe function trigger 402, the wireless monitoring logic 404 may activateor take the home telephone off-hook so that the calling party mayascertain whether the family pets are barking or whether the homeenvironment seems quiet. Additionally, the calling party may speak tothe dogs through the telephone to try and soothe them if agitated.

Additionally, the wireless intercom logic 406 may be used to communicatewith children, family, or other individuals that are incapable ofanswering the home device. For example, a wheelchair bound person may beable to speak but may be unable to reach the home telephone. As aresult, the wireless intercom logic 406 may activate the home telephoneor a speaker function of the home telephone so that the calling partymay communicate with the disabled person in the room without thedisabled person being required to perform any tasks. The wirelessmonitoring logic 404 and wireless intercom logic 406 may be referred toas logic or an audio interface for implementing the monitoring andintercom communication described herein. In another embodiment, the hometelephone may present no indication that the telephone is off-hook inthe monitoring or intercom mode.

The wireless monitoring logic 404 and wireless intercom logic 406 maycontrol other communications systems within the home. In one embodiment,the home telephone or home communication system 400 may be integratedwith a specialized bed providing services to a disabled individual. Thehome communication system 400 may also communicate with a home securitysystem or media system. For example, the speakers and microphones of thehome security system may be used to monitor the home and performintercom communication. The caller identification voice announce may beplayed in speakers inside or outside the house. Alternatively, thecaller identification voice announce may be a tactile signal or pattern.For example, an article of clothing or furniture may be set to vibrateto a pre-designated signal when a specified person calls. This featuremay be particularly useful for those of that are hard of hearing orotherwise disabled.

The caller identification voice announce logic 408 may perform variousfunctions. The function trigger 402 may be used to activate the calleridentification voice announce logic 408 to record and then play a calleridentification voice announcement when an incoming call is received froma designated calling party. The caller identification voice announcelogic 408 may also record a subject or purpose of a call as specified bycalling parties.

The caller identification voice announce logic 408 responds to userinput to link a calling party and a user-recorded caller identificationvoice announce. The calling party may be selected and then the user maybe prompted by the caller identification voice announce logic 408 torecord a caller identification voice announce. In another embodiment,the caller identification voice announce logic 408 may usespeech-to-text to generate the caller identification voice announce. Forexample, caller identification information available with the incomingcall signal may be used to automatically generate a calleridentification voice announce for a party that does not have anassociated caller identification voice announce, such as a person thathas not called the user before.

The caller identification voice announce logic 408 may display orpresent an identifier associated with the calling party. For example,the caller identification voice announce logic 408 may present a list ofindividuals that have frequently called or been called by the user. Thelist may be presented graphically using a display of the telephone orother computing device in communication with the home communicationsystem 400. Once the user has selected one or more calling parties, thecaller identification voice announce logic 408 may prompt the user torecord a caller identification voice announcement. The calleridentification voice announcement is stored in the memory 410 and linkedwith the calling party selected by the user. The caller identificationvoice announce logic 408 may use a calling number, IP address, calleridentification text, customer number, or other information to identifythe calling party.

In one embodiment, the user may use a television or set-top box that ispart of or linked to the home communication system 400 to link anidentifier with the caller identification voice announce. For example,the user may specify a group of phone numbers including a home phone,cell phone, and work phone that are to be associated with a caller'spicture and caller identification voice announce. As a result, when thecaller calls from any of the specified devices, the identifier is usedto display a picture and/or text associated with the calling party andplay the caller identification voice announce to any number ofmultimedia devices.

The caller identification voice announce logic 408 may also use voice orspeech recognition to link the calling party with the calleridentification voice announce. As a result, the caller identificationvoice announce may be played for a calling party regardless of thephone, communication line, or location from which the calling partycalls. The caller identification voice announce logic 408 may usehistorical data to perform commands or play the recorded calleridentification voice announce. For example, when the calling partyrecords or states the purpose of the call, the caller identificationvoice announce logic 408 may use speech recognition to identify thecaller identification voice announce to be played. As a result, even ifthe calling party is calling from a phone or device without anidentifier, the correct caller identification voice announce may stillbe played.

Once the function trigger 402 determines an incoming call is from thecalling party, the caller identification voice announce plays theassociated caller identification voice announce. In one embodiment, thecaller identification voice announce may be programmed as a feature ofan IP telephone. Alternatively, a separate device altogether may beconnected to a communications line to provide the caller identificationvoice announce feature. In another embodiment, the user may be promptedto first record the caller identification voice announce and then one ormore calling parties is associated using multiple caller identifiers tobe associated with the caller identification voice announce. Forexample, a user may record, “Mother-in-law” and then the user may linkthe recorded caller identification voice announce with a home phonenumber, cellular phone number, and work number of the user'smother-in-law.

In another embodiment, the function trigger 402 or caller identificationvoice announce logic 408 may intercept an incoming call and prompt thecalling party to specify a purpose of the call. The prompt may bepre-recorded by the user or a default message. For example, the promptmay state “Thank you for calling the Johnsons, please tell us why youare calling.” The purpose of the call may be recorded for storage in thememory 410 for subsequent play back with the recorded calleridentification voice announce. In one embodiment, the calleridentification voice announce and then the recording of the subject orpurpose of the call may be played from memory 410 to the user.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a process for implementing quick note messagesin accordance with the illustrative embodiments of the presentinvention. FIG. 5 is a flow chart for various systems and devices,including a calling party 502, a voicemail system 504, and a receivingwireless device 506. The calling party 502 may be using a wirelessdevice or wired telephone or other communications device. The process ofFIG. 5 illustrates a process in which the user of the receiving wirelessdevice 506 is a quick note messaging user.

The process begins with the calling party 502 dialing the receivingwireless device 506 (step 508). The quick note messaging user may havepreviously signed up for quick note messaging or quick note messagingmay be part of a wireless service plan subscribed to. Next, thevoicemail system 504 intercepts the call (step 510). The call may beintercepted or received by a function trigger or logic of the voicemailsystem 504. The voicemail system 504 plays a quick note message prompt(step 512). The quick note message prompt indicates that the receivingwireless device 506 is enabled for quick note messaging and that thecalling party 502 may leave a quick note message if the user so selects.In another embodiment, no message prompt is played to the user.

The calling party 502 may provide a user selection (step 514). The userinput or selection may be a voice command, button activation, or otherinput that indicates whether the user wants to leave a quick notemessage. Steps 510-514 may occur during a designated ring back periodduring which the calling party 502 may elect whether or not to leave aquick note message. Next, the voicemail system 504 determines whetherthe user input of step 514 indicates to enter a quick note message (step516). If the user input in step 514 is no selection or is an incorrectselection, the voicemail system 504 rings the quick note messaging usernormally (step 518). The voicemail system 504 then handles callprocessing normally (step 520). In steps 518 and 520 the voicemailsystem 504 may pass the dialed call to the mobile switching center orother wireless network devices for normal call processing.

In step 516, if the user selects to enter a quick note message thevoicemail system 504 plays a tone to prompt the calling party to recorda quick note message (step 522). Next the calling party 502 leaves amessage (step 524). Simultaneously, the voicemail system 504 records thequick note message (step 526). The voicemail system 504 waits for thecalling party to terminate the call or for a timeout threshold (step528). The calling party 502 may terminate the message by hanging up thetelephone, or alternatively, a timeout threshold may be specified by thevoicemail system 504 to terminate the recording of the quick notemessage. In one example, the voicemail system 504 may be set to timeoutafter a recording period of forty-five seconds.

Next, the voicemail system 504 stores the quick note message (step 530).Once the quick note message is stored, the voicemail system 504 alertsthe quick note messaging customer that a message has been received (step532). In one example, the voicemail system 504 sends a signal to thereceiving wireless device 506 that activates an icon, tone or vibratorof the receiving wireless device 506. The receiving wireless device 506activates a message waiting indicator (step 534) with the processterminating thereafter.

An illustrative embodiment provides a system and method for quick notemessaging. The quick note messages allow for a quick voice message thatmay be sent and received without complying with the emotional or socialnorms of a voice conversation. Quick note messaging may be a substituteto text messaging. The human voice may quickly and effectivelycommunicate a message more effectively than a text message based onhuman abilities for speech and speech recognition.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a process for home monitoring and using a homeintercom in accordance with the illustrative embodiments of the presentinvention. The process of FIG. 6 describes a home monitoring andintercom system for a calling subscriber 602, a home communicationssystem 604, and a home telephone 606.

The process begins with the calling subscriber 602 dialing home (step608). The home communications system plays a prompt (step 610). Theprompt may be an alert or indicator that informs the calling subscriber602 that intercom and monitoring functionality are available. The promptof step 610 may be played or activated during the ring back period forallowing the calling subscriber 602 to enter a selection.

Next, the home communications system 604 listens for a user selection(step 612). The calling subscriber 602 enters a selection (step 614).The user selection in step 614 may be to perform a monitor feature, anintercom feature, or may be no selection. The selection may be userinput which may include pushing one or more buttons or speaking acommand. The home communications system determines whether a userselection was received (step 616). If no selection or an incorrectselection is received, the home communications system 604 handles callprocessing normally (step 618). As a result, the home telephone 606rings (step 620) with the process terminating thereafter.

If the home communications system 604 determines the user selection instep 616 is to perform a monitor feature, the home communications system604 prompts the calling subscriber for a pass code (step 622). Thecalling subscriber enters the pass code (step 624). Next, the homecommunications system 604 determines whether the pass code is correct(step 626). If the pass code is not correct, the process terminates. Thepass code ensures that unauthorized parties are not able to monitor thehome to avoid privacy and security issues.

If the pass code is correct in step 626, the home communications system604 signals the home telephone to play a monitor alert (step 628).Simultaneously, the home telephone 606 plays the monitor alert. (step630). The monitor alert indicates to any individuals in the home thatthe home telephone is about to enter a monitor mode. Next, the homecommunications system enters an off-hook monitor mode (step 632) withthe home telephone 606 enabling monitoring (step 634). Monitoring isterminated when the calling subscriber 602 enters user input toterminate the call (step 636).

If the user selection in step 616 is to perform intercom communication,the home communications system 604 prompts the calling subscriber for apass code (step 640). Next, the calling subscriber 602 enters the passcode (step 642). The home communications system 604 determines whetherthe pass code is correct (step 644). If the pass code is not correct,the process terminates. If the pass code is correct in step 644, thehome communications system 604 signals the home telephone to play anintercom alert (step 646) and the home telephone 606 plays the intercomalert (step 648).

Next, the home communications system 604 enters off-hook intercom mode(step 650) and the home telephone 606 enables intercom communication(step 622). The intercom feature remains active until the callingsubscriber 602 enters user input to terminate the call (step 636) withthe home communications system 604 and home telephone 606 ending thefeature (step 638). The home communications system 604 and hometelephone 606 then end the feature (step 638). In one embodiment, thehome telephone 606 does not play a monitor alert or intercom alert orprovide any indication that the home telephone 606 is off-hook. As aresult, the monitor feature may be performed without notice.

The intercom feature described allows a user to quickly use intercomcommunication to communicate with individuals that are unable to answerthe telephone in a traditional manner. For example, the intercom featuremay be used to communicate with a babysitter that has been told to notanswer the phone. Additionally, the intercom feature may be used tocommunicate with wheel chair bound individuals and to check on familypets to determine their status.

In another embodiment, the calling subscriber 602 may only need to diala number and enter a code, identifier, password, or voice command duringa ring back period to automatically enter a monitor or intercom modewith the home telephone 606. For example, the calling subscriber 602 maydial #2 and then dial the home telephone 606 phone to be monitored. In asimplified method of operation, no prompts or alerts may be displayed tothe calling subscriber 602 or home telephone 606. Additionally, the homecommunication system 604 and home telephone 606 that is being used forintercom communication or monitoring may not present or play anindication that the home telephone 606 is operating differently. Forexample, no audio or visual distinctions, such as an off-hook signal orlights, in the phone may be presented indicating that the home telephone606 is being monitored. The home telephone 606 may even use a hold orsecond line feature to allow a person with access to use the phonenormally without an indication that the intercom or monitor feature isactive. As a result, the user may monitor the phone and/or home withoutalerting anyone in the home that the monitor/intercom feature is beingperformed. The calling subscriber 602 may also mute the phone on thecalling side so that breathing or other noises are not transmitted tothe monitored device. In either case, the home communication system 604which may be a server, phone, network device, or wireless element may beprogrammed so that the phone in the home telephone 606 does not ring.The home communication system 604 may control the speaker and microphoneof the home telephone 606 so that the communication occurs as desired bythe calling subscriber 602. The home telephone 606 may also communicateor be integrated with televisions, graphical displays, media systems,and home security systems for enhanced functionality.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a process for using an incrementaldo-not-disturb feature in accordance with an illustrative embodiment ofthe present invention. The process of FIG. 7 may be implemented by aserver, HLR, class 5 switch, wireless device, VoIP telephone, standardtelephone, or other advanced intelligence network device generallyreferred to as the “device”.)

The process begins by receiving user input to activate an incrementaldo-not-disturb feature (step 702). The user input may be received in anynumber of ways. In one embodiment, the telephone includes ado-not-disturb button that may be pushed or activated. A user may alsoassert a code or provide other user input including tactile controls andvoice commands that activate the do-not-disturb feature. For example,the user may press the number one, twice in rapid succession to provideuser input for the device. The user input of FIG. 7 may also be receivedfrom an element or device in communication with the device, such as acomputer or television.

Next, the device activates the incremental do-not-disturb feature (step704). Once the incremental do-not-disturb feature is activated, thetelephone may perform various tasks. In one embodiment, the telephoneplays a message such as “The person you are calling is not acceptingcalls for another thirty minutes”. After playing the message, the callmay or may not be sent to voicemail based on user preferences. Theamount of time specified in the message, such as thirty minutes, mayrelate to a time period remaining before the do-not-disturb functionexpires. The time period may be initially set based on the user input instep 702. For example, the user may press one, one, three, zero insuccession to specify that the telephone is entering do-not-disturb modefor thirty minutes. The user may be able to specify a time period or maybe limited to pre-programmed increments, such as 15, 30, 45, 60, or 75minutes. The size of the increments may also be specified by the userbased on individual needs. Because the user may specify a time periodthe user does not need to worry that he/she will accidentally leave thetelephone in incremental do-not-disturb mode and miss important orexpected telephone calls.

The device remains in incremental do-not-disturb mode (step 706). Whilethe device is in incremental do-not-disturb mode, the phone call divertsall incoming calls. The diverting as herein used refers to preventingthe phone from ringing, passing the incoming call directly to voicemail,or intercepting incoming calls to play a do-not-disturb message to thecalling parties. The diverting may be performed by a phone, server, homelocator record, or other wireless or network device. In one embodiment,a server may not forward the incoming call to a phone while in theincremental do-not-disturb mode in order to preserve resources, such ascommunication paths, circuits and available bandwidth. As the phonecalls are diverted in step 706 the operation of the microphone, ringer,and speaker components of the telephone may be closely controlled. Whilethe calls are diverted, the time period remaining may be translated orinserted into the incremental do-not-disturb message played to the userin a count down to the end of the time period. The incrementaldo-not-disturb feature is particularly useful because of the ability toincrement or decrement the time period that the device is in thedo-not-disturb mode. The feature also allows calling parties to easilyascertain when they may be able to call again to attempt communicationwith the user of the incremental do-not-disturb feature.

During step 706, the ringer continues to be inactive or deactivated.Incoming telephone calls may be diverted from normal call processing andtwo-way communication. At any time, the device may receive user input toadd additional time to a time period (step 708). The time period mayspecify how long the telephone remains in incremental do-not-disturbmode before returning to normal call processing. The user input of step708 may be similar to the user input received in (step 702).Alternatively, the user may press a single button or enter a code toincrease the time period. For example, the user may press a featurebutton to increase the time period by two increments of ten minutes, orin other words, twenty minutes is added to the time period. In anotherembodiment, the user may decrease the time period in step 708 if theuser wants to exit the incremental do-not-disturb mode earlier thanoriginally selected based on changing circumstances, needs, and wants ofthe user. As a result, the incremental do-not-disturb feature may beeasily ended at anytime or the time period may be decremented.

In another embodiment, the user may provide the user input in step 708by tapping or throwing the device. The user may tap the device a singletime or in a series or pattern of taps to provide specific user input.The user input may be received through one or more accelerometers thatmeasure the position and motion of the device. For example, the user maytap the phone three times to add forty five minutes to the time periodof the incremental do-not-disturb feature.

Next, the device determines whether the time period has expired (step710). The time period may be established by a timer, counter, clock, orother time keeping element of the device. If the time period has notexpired, the device remains in incremental do-not-disturb mode (step710). If the time period has expired in step 710, the device returns tonormal call processing (step 712) with the process terminatingthereafter. During step 712, the device is re-enabled to allow incomingcalls to ring through to the user to be answered or ignored. Theincremental do-not-disturb feature prevents a user from leavingdo-not-disturb active too long by using a time period that may beincremented, decremented or deleted at any time.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a process for implementing an incrementaldo-not-disturb feature in accordance with an illustrative embodiment ofthe present invention. The process of FIG. 8 may be implemented by aserver, HLR, class 5 switch, wireless device, VoIP telephone, standardtelephone, or other advanced intelligence network device generallyreferred to as the “device”. The process begins by receiving an incomingcall (step 802). Next, the device plays the incremental do-not-disturbmessage to a calling party (step 804) with the process terminatingthereafter. The message played in step 804 may be played during a ringback period. As previously mentioned, the message may specify that theuser is temporarily not accepting calls and may specify a time periodbefore the incremental do-not-disturb feature expires and calls may beprocessed normally. After step 804, the calling party may be sent to theuser's voicemail based on user preferences, service plan, or otherconfigurations.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a process for establishing a calleridentification voice announce in accordance with an illustrativeembodiment of the present invention. The process of FIG. 9 may beimplemented by a VoIP server, VoIP telephone, or other digital deviceused for VoIP or digital communication. The process begins by selectinga calling party (step 902). The calling party may be selected based onuser input. The user input may include a telephone number, calleridentification text, IP address or other identifier or information thatidentifies the calling party.

Next, the device determines whether to record a caller identificationvoice announce (step 904). The determination of step 904 may be madebased on user input. For example, the user may press a button, enter acode, or otherwise generate a signal or provide input used to make thedetermination. The caller identification voice announce may be a verbalrecording by a user associated with the calling party.

If the device determines to record the caller identification voiceannounce, the device records a caller identification voice announceassociated with a caller identifier (step 906). For example, the usermay associate a home phone number of the user's mother with a writtenrecording of the user speaking, “mom's calling”. As a result, wheneverthe user's mother calls from that telephone number the calleridentification voice announce “mom's calling” is played through the VoIPtelephone or through an audio system in communication with the VoIPtelephone. The caller identification voice announce may be associatedwith one or more caller identifications for each user. For example, theIP address of the user's mothers home VoIP phone, a phone number of thewireless device of the user's mother, and a text identification of the awork number used by the user's mother may be associated as calleridentifiers with the caller identification voice announce. A picture ortext may also be associated with the caller identifier so that thecaller identification voice announce, picture, and associated text maybe displayed on any number of devices in communication with thetelephone.

If the device determines not to record a caller identification voiceannounce in step 904, the device may use a default voice announce (step908). The default voice announce may be an automated program forspeaking the text associated with a caller identification, theassociated telephone number, IP address, or other information of thecalling party.

FIG. 10A is a flowchart of a process for playing a callingidentification voice announce in accordance with an illustrativeembodiment of the present invention. The process of FIG. 10A-B may beimplemented by a server, HLR, class 5 switch, wireless device, VoIPtelephone, standard telephone, or other advanced intelligence networkdevice generally referred to as the “device”. The process of FIG. 10Abegins by receiving an incoming telephone call from a calling party(step 1002). Next, the device associates the calling party with a calleridentification voice announce (step 1004). Caller identification voiceannounce logic within the device or module of the applicable system maybe used to perform the association of step 1004. The calling party maybe associated with a recorded caller identification voice announce inany number of ways. In one embodiment, a caller identifier including atelephone number, Internet protocol address, voice recognition, orcaller identification name may be used to link the calling party withthe recorded caller identification voice announce. The calleridentification voice announcements and associated caller identifierrecorded in step 906 of FIG. 9 may be stored in a table, directory,database, or other organization information storage element or programin order to perform step 1004. The caller identifier may be translatedfrom the table to associate the calling party with the calleridentification voice announce.

Next, the device plays the caller identification voice announceassociated with the calling party (step 1006). For example, if theuser's mother calls from a number linked with the calling party thepre-recorded caller identification voice announce is played through theInternet protocol telephone or through a link audio device. As a result,even if the user is not close enough to a telephone to read the calleridentification, the audio identification alerts the user as to thecalling party. This feature allows the user more flexibility indetermining whether or not to answer the phone and whether the usershould go to the location of the telephone to take the call. The usermay record a spoken nickname, sound, or other audio indicator the userprefers to associate with the calling party. The device may play thevoice announce through a speaker or separate interconnected system, suchas a home intercom system or a media system.

In one embodiment, the caller identification voice announce may be arecording of the user speaking the phone number and message, such as“Call coming from 998-998-9989”. The phone may be connected to atelevision, computer, or media system. The television may play the voiceannouncement for a user that is watching or near the television. Inanother embodiment, the caller identification voice announce may includea picture or text that is displayed on the device once the incoming callis received from the calling party.

FIG. 10B is a flowchart of a process for playing a callingidentification voice announce in accordance with an illustrativeembodiment of the present invention. The process begins by receiving anincoming phone call from a calling party (step 1002). The device promptsthe calling party to specify the purpose of the call (step 1008). Theincoming call may be intercepted by a server or other auto attendantdevice, feature of a network device or the phone. In one example, thedevice may state “Thanks for calling the Smiths, please state thepurpose of your call within the next five seconds.” The purpose of thecall may include the subject, name or identity of the person calling,reason for calling, or portion of the message or conversation thecalling party would like to convey to the user.

Next, the device records the purpose of the call (step 1010). Thepurpose of the call may record the calling party as long as he or shetalks after the prompt. Alternatively, the device may perform therecording for a time period, such as three to ten seconds. The deviceassociates the calling party and the recording with a calleridentification voice announce (step 1012).

Next, the device plays the caller identification voice announce and therecording associated with the calling party (step 1014). For example,the caller identification voice announce may state “Grandma” as thepre-defined caller followed by the recording of Grandma saying, “Are westill on to go to the monster truck rally on Saturday?” as the purposeof the call. In one embodiment, if the recording was not associated withthe calling party in step 1012 because of lack of information or otherassociation problems, only the recording may be played in step 1014.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a process for recording a pre-call message inaccordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. Theprocess of FIG. 11 may be implemented by a subscriber 1102, a system1104, and an intended recipient 1106. The subscriber 1102 may be a userusing a wireless device, a VoIP telephone or a standard telephone. Thesystem 1104 may be a voicemail system or other pre-call messaging systemstored on a server or other advanced intelligent network device. Theintended recipient 1106 may be the person or persons to which thepre-call message is directed.

The process of FIG. 11 begins with the subscriber 1102 dialing an accessnumber to a voicemail system (step 1108). Next, the system 1104 checksto verify services subscribed to by the subscriber (step 1110). Theservices are verified in step 1110 to verify that the subscriber 1102may leave a pre-call message or “next time you call me” message. Thepre-call message may be a message that is left for future receipt by theintended recipient 1106. The system prompts the subscriber with menuoptions (step 1112).

Next, the subscriber 1102 may select a “next time you call me” messageoption (step 1114). The system 1104 plays a prompt to record the message(step 1116). The subscriber 1102 may then speak the message and indicatean end of recording (step 1118).

The system 1104 may prompt the subscriber to enter one or more intendedrecipients (step 1120). The subscriber 1102 may then enter in one ormore intended recipients and indicate an end of the recipient list (step1122). The system 1104 may then store the intended recipient, confirmthe recipient list, and prompt the subscriber for other options (step1124). Next, the subscriber 1102 may determine whether to choose otheroptions (step 1126). If the subscriber 1102 determines not to chooseother options the process terminates. If the subscriber 1102 choosesother options in step 1126 the system 1104 prompts the subscriber forother services (step 1128). For example, the other services 1128 mayinclude access to regular voicemail.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a process for playing a recorded pre-callmessage in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the presentinvention. The process of FIG. 12 may occur once a pre-call message isrecorded, stored, and associated with an intended recipient. The processbegins with the intended recipient 1106 calling the subscriber (step1202).

Next, the system 1104 checks the calling number against the recipientlist (step 1204). The system 1104 may check an IP address, calleridentification, voice identification or other identification orindicator against the recipient list. The system 1104 plays a messagepreamble (step 1206). The message preamble may be used to indicate thatthe subscriber 1102 has a pre-recorded message specially designated forthe intended recipient 1106. For example, the message preamble mayindicate, “the subscriber you called is unavailable, but has left you aspecial message as follows”. The message preamble may play during thering back period before the wireless device of the subscriber 1102 hasrang. In one embodiment, the subscriber 1102 may set the system to notplay the message preamble.

Next, the system 1104 plays the deposited message (step 1208). Thedeposited message may be a personalized message that was previouslyrecorded for the intended recipient 1106. In one example, the depositedmessage may be recorded by the subscriber 1102 based on circumstancesthat have changed a prior plan to meet between the subscriber 1102 andthe intended recipient 1106. Such a message may state “I had animportant tee time come up and I'm going to be unable to meet with youthis afternoon, so let's reschedule for tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. Thanks,sorry about that”. The message preamble and deposited message may beplayed to the intended recipient 1106 before the phone rings. Themessage preamble and deposited message may be played to the userregardless of the status of the phone, such as on, off, unavailable, orin a do-not-disturb mode. For example, even if the user is available,the pre-call message may be played to the intended recipient 1106.

The system 1104 may then play menu options (step 1210). The intendedrecipient 1106 may choose an option (step 1212). If the intendedrecipient 1106 selects to play the message again, the system 1104 playsthe deposited message (step 1208). If the intended recipient 1106selects to continue and delete the message, the system 1104 marks themessage delivered (step 1214). Next, the system 1104 determines whetherthere are undelivered messages in the recipient list (step 1216). If thesystem 1104 determines there are not undelivered messages in therecipient list, the system 1104 deletes the delivered messages (step1218). Next, the system 1104 processes calls normally (step 1220). Ifthe intended recipient 1106 determines to continue and save the messagein step 1212, and the system 1104 determines there are undeliveredmessages in the recipient list in step 1216, the system 1104 saves thedeposited message for future calls (step 1222).

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a process for recording a pre-call message inaccordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 13 is a simplified flowchart for the process of FIG. 11. Theprocess begins by selecting the calling party (step 1302). Next, thedevice records a pre-call message for the calling party (step 1304). Thecalling party and the pre-call message are associated so that when thecalling party calls, the pre-call message is automatically playedwithout the telephone ringing or without two-way communicationoccurring. Alternatively, the pre-call message may be recorded beforeselecting one or more calling parties.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a process for playing a pre-call message inaccordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. Theprocess of FIG. 14 is a simplified process of FIG. 12. The processbegins by receiving an incoming call from the calling party (step 1402).Incoming calls that are not from a designated calling party may beprocessed normally or sent to voicemail as specified by the user. Nextthe device plays the pre-call message to the calling party during thering back period (step 1404).

The pre-call message may be played to the calling party with the callthen ending or being transferred into voicemail. In one embodiment, thecalling party may not be presented with options to save or delete thepre-call message. Instead, the pre-call message may be played every timethe calling party calls or until a time period expires. The pre-callmessage may be used in conjunction with an incremental do-not-disturbfeature. For example, the message from the system to the calling partymay be a combination of one or more message preambles and a recordedmessage combined as follows: “The user you called is unavailable forthirty more minutes. The user left you the following message . . . Jane,I'll call you back when I get out of this last minute budget meeting”.

In another embodiment, once the device has ensured that the callingparty has received the entire message, the message may be deleted andnot played to the calling party again. Alternatively, the pre-callmessage may be continuously played to the designated calling party untildeleted, removed, or inactivated by the user.

The features of the present invention may be used independently or incombination to provide improved communications options and security fora user from a standard telephone, VoIP telephone, wireless phone, orother communications device or protocol. In one embodiment, thefeatures, customizations, and user preferences may be transferred orimplemented between various network devices and telephonic devices. Forexample, a caller identification voice announce recorded for a home VoIPtelephone may be transferred to a wireless device. In another example,the incremental do-not-disturb feature may be activated using on awireless device, but implemented for a home phone and business phone aswell. In yet another example, a user may record a pre-call message foruse with a business number from a wireless device by accessing thevoicemail system of the business phone.

The previous detailed description is of a small number of embodimentsfor implementing the invention and is not intended to be limiting inscope. The following claims set forth a number of the embodiments of theinvention disclosed with greater particularity.

What is claimed:
 1. A method for playing pre-call messages, comprising:receiving user input to record a pre-call message for one or moreintended recipients utilizing a wireless device in anticipation of anincoming call from the one or more intended recipients; associating thepre-call message with an identifier of the one or more intendedrecipients; receiving user input identifying at least one user statusduring which user status a pre-call message will be played; receiving anincoming call from at least one of the one or more intended recipients;determining a status of the user; playing the pre-call message to theone or more intended recipients during the ring back period of thewireless device in response to determining the incoming call is from theone or more intended recipients using the identifier and further inresponse to the determined status of the user; and automaticallydeleting the pre-call message in response to determining the one or moreintended recipients have received the entire pre-call message.
 2. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein the method is performed by avoicemail system of the wireless device.
 3. The method according toclaim 1, wherein the receiving step comprises: prompting a user to beingrecording the message in response to the user selecting to record thepre-call message.
 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein theidentifier is any of a phone number, nickname, caller identification, oran IP address.
 5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:storing the one or more intended recipients in a database.
 6. The methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising: comparing the incoming call ofthe identifier against the recipient list to determine whether to playthe pre-call message to the one or more intended recipients.
 7. Themethod according to claim 1, further comprising: allowing the one ormore intended recipients to select to replay or save the pre-callmessage.
 8. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:deleting the pre-call message without playing the message to the one ormore intended recipients in response to receiving a user selection todelete the pre-call message.
 9. The method according to claim 1, whereinthe playing further comprising: preventing the wireless device fromringing to prevent a call recipient from being disturbed in response toreceiving the user input to record the pre-call message.
 10. The methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising: determining whether the one ormore intended recipients has received the pre-call message; and deletingthe pre-call message in response to determining the one or more intendedrecipients have received the pre-call message.
 11. A voicemail system ofa wireless device, comprising: a function trigger configured to enable apre-call message feature; and pre-call message logic configuredimplement the pre-call message feature, wherein the pre-call messagelogic receives user input to record a pre-call message for one or moreintended recipients, associates the pre-call message with an identifierof the one or more intended recipients, receives user input identifyingat least one user status during which user status a pre-call messagewill be played, receives an incoming call from at least one of the oneor more intended recipients and determines a status of the user; playsthe pre-call message to the one or more intended recipients during thering back period for the wireless device in response to determining anincoming call is from the one or more intended recipients using theidentifier, and further in response to the determined status of the userand automatically deletes the pre-call message from the voicemail systemin response to determining that all of the one or more intendedrecipients have received the entire pre-call message.
 12. The voicemailsystem of claim 11, wherein the one or more intended recipients do notneed to be a customer of the pre-call message feature to receive thepre-call message.
 13. The voicemail system of claim 11, furthercomprising: a memory for storing the pre-call message to be played tothe one or more intended recipients.
 14. The voicemail system of claim11, further comprising: a database associated each of a plurality ofpre-call messages with identifiers associated with each of the one ormore recipients.
 15. The voicemail system of claim 11, wherein thepre-call message is played to the one or more intended recipients inresponse to the pre-call message logic determining that the identifierof the incoming call is associated with the one or more intendedrecipients.
 16. A wireless device enabling pre-call messaging,comprising: a processor for executing a set of instructions; and amemory configured to store the set of instructions, wherein the set ofinstructions are executed to: receive user input to record a pre-callmessage for one or more intended recipients, associate the pre-callmessage with an identifier of the one or more intended recipients,receive user input identifying at least one user status during whichuser status a pre-call message will be played, receive an incoming callfrom at least one of the one or more intended recipients and determininga status of the user; and play the pre-call message to the one or moreintended recipients during the ring back period in response todetermining an incoming call is from the one or more intended recipientsusing the identifier and further in response to the determined status ofthe user and automatically delete the pre-call message from the wirelessdevice in response to determining that all of the one or more intendedrecipients have received the entire pre-call.
 17. The wireless device ofclaim 16, wherein the identifier is any of a phone number, nickname,caller identification, or an IP address.
 18. The wireless device ofclaim 16, wherein the set of instructions are further executed to: allowthe one or more intended recipients to replay or save the pre-callmessage.